<p>Best website for pet info - Peteducation dot com. </p>
<p>Here is a primer on brushing for dogs (actually, for their owners :)):</p>
<p>[Brushing</a> Your Dog’s Teeth & Home Dental Care](<a href=“Ask A Vet Online 24/7 - PetCoach”>Ask A Vet Online 24/7 - PetCoach)</p>
<p>Yes, I mean the $300 dental cleaning from the vet where they put the dog under anesthesia and scrape the plaque of the teeth. Our vet had to pull a tooth last time.</p>
<p>Believe me when I say we scoffed at this huge expense until our dog was 6 or 7. But after we saw the change in her overall health we are believers. It’s true for humans too — one of the best things you can do for your general health is to floss regularly. Something to do with inflammation.</p>
<p>Another plus— better breath. Our little dog’s breath was so bad, I can’t even come up with an analogy to do it justice. Rotting meat? Blocked sewage? No comparison.</p>
<p>I brushed my dog’s teeth with a regular toothbrush and doggy toothpaste (bought at the vet’s) from the time she was a puppy. The vet always commented on how beautiful and white her teeth were. :)</p>
<p>We brush our dog’s teeth regularly - and he chews a nylabone daily (one of his favorite forms of relaxation) - and as a result, the vet doesn’t see any need for scraping. Her theory is that the nylabone has enough fibers to keep things clean… BTW she says to avoid the flavored nylabones as the safety of the flavoring additive has been questioned in the literature. Since he likes the natural ones, I don’t see any reason to buy the flavored ones.</p>
<p>I think if your dog likes to chew on those bones and you brush your dog’s teeth regularly, a vet cleaning may not be necessary. Our dog won’t chew on the bones, any kind – she just runs around frantically with the thing in her mouth, crying, looking for a place to stash it. They just make her super neurotic.</p>
<p>And we aren’t very good at the regular brushing.</p>
<p>My dogs get a weekly fresh almost-raw bone. I actually buy them the bony ribs from prime rib roast. The grocery store cuts them off (to make boneless rib roast) and sells them for $2.99 a pound (sometimes less). I pour boiling water over them (which is supposedly completely unnecessary but I always wonder about surface bacteria with beef) and then my two standard poodles get to chew the meat off the bone and then the bone itself. It’s about a three-hour process. Their vet is very impressed with their teeth. Much easier than brushing, much more fun for the dog, and it makes a great reward for asking them to do something difficult, like sit still while I clip their toenails. (Yes, I put the bone where they can see it while I do their nails.)</p>
<p>As for poodles, I think they’re great dogs. They’re athletic, don’t shed, don’t smell, have a wicked sense of humor, and have an off switch (so they’ll just lie around until you’re ready to go).</p>
<p>dmd77, do they actually eat the bone?</p>
<p>My sweet poodle mix has a strong smell. Her sister doesn’t smell though. Just like people, I guess.</p>
<p>Mousegray: a purebred poodle has no smell. The smell comes from oil glands that are common in retrievers. </p>
<p>The dogs do not actually eat the bone. They gnaw on the ends and wear them down, they chew out the marrow, and they spend a lot of time just chewing on the bones.</p>